Parliament’s approval of US $172,212,500 loan facility from Brazil to reconstruct the burnt Kumasi Central Market has compelled traders in and around Kumasi to besiege the offices of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

The move by the traders, Today understands, is to enable them make enquiries on how to register to become beneficiaries of the yet-to-be built 30,000 market-store complex.

Although the registration of market-spaces is not yet opened by KMA, Today gathered that there is a mad rush for the market store spaces by traders.

The prospective traders, particularly victims whose properties were destroyed in the recent fire outbreak at the Kumasi central market, were seen last Friday and Tuesday early morning in their numbers waiting to enter into the main offices of KMA to make enquiries.

Speaking on Okay FM yesterday in Accra, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of KMA, Mr. Godwin Nyame, appealed to the traders to be patient since plans were far-advanced by the KMA to increase the market store-spaces to accommodate all of prospective traders.

“… the yet-to-be built market complex when completed would increase the available market stores from about 10,000 to around 30,000,” Mr. Nyame assured the traders.

He commended Parliament for its efforts to approve the loan facility to rebuild the market.

He noted that the KMA, assembly members and other key stakeholders would convene an emergency meeting on how to start the re-construction of the first phase of the well-planned market complex.

He indicated that the assembly was very sad about the fire outbreak which destroyed over sixty (60) shops belonging to the traders in the country’s second biggest city.

Mr. Nyame also used the opportunity to caution residents against politicisation of yet to-be-built market complex.

He revealed that the four-year contract was awarded to a Brazilian construction firm and assured Ghanaians, particularly the traders, of the contractors’ commitment to work assiduously to finish the project on the stipulated period of time.

Parliament last week approved an on-lending agreement between government of Ghana and KMA for an amount of US$ 172,512,500 to finance the Kumasi central market redevelopment project.

The agreement which is in line with government’s new debt management strategy outlined in the 2014 budget statement is under a credit facility agreement between Deutsche Bank, New York branch and its affiliates and supported by Segurado Bradileira de Credi to a Exportacao (SBCE) and the Brazilian Officials Equalization Program (PROEX).

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